We are potentially witnessing a turning point in the history of Belarus. At the time of recording, Belarus has just had another contested election. Unsurprisingly, Lukashenko won 80.1% of the vote. Tens of thousands have taken to the streets asking for him to go. How did it come to this? Why does Belarus exist in the first place? If you wish to put current events in their historical context, tune in to find out more.

Bhutan is a lesser known, highly religious country in the Himalayas region. The first half of the episode is packed full of mystic and religious figures with amazing stories. A country that followed a path of isolation from the world until the 1950s, the second half of the episode follows the nation through its comparatively late ingratiation into the world of community whilst also managing to maintain and promote its national identity. 

Yemen has a tumultuous past. There is no clearer manifestation of this than the war that continues to rage there today. However, Yemen was once the home to some of the most grand, culturally rich and prosperous kingdoms in all ancient Arabia. In fact, it remained so well into the later Middle Ages. So the question beggars: why is it that Yemen's fortunes have dipped so horribly? Tune in to learn about - at least some - of the answers.

This is the second and final episode on the history of Turkey. This episode picks up at the rise of the Ottomans and takes us all the way to the present day. It is not all politics and dynastic struggles in this episode and we make sure that we cover the cultural diversity present throughout the Ottoman Empire's history and the factors for its collapse.  

Turkey has had a huge portion of the world's empires run through all or part of its modern day territory. This episode attempts to discuss most of them in chronological order from when humans were first in Turkey to the beginning of the Ottoman empire. As you will soon learn, there is a lot to discuss so this will be part one of a two part series on the history of Turkey.

The Federated States of Micronesia are a relatively young nation made up of four Island regions. Until those pesky Europeans got involved, the islands were politically distinct. Each Island has its own story to tell, and in the case of one Island in particular, there is a nice demonstration of the value of money and currency, which is sure to excite anyone with a vague interest in economics. Tune in to hear about the wonderful stories this nation has to tell. 

Suriname is probably a country most people know little about despite its rich and exciting history. It has been home to many people groups throughout its history and this is reflected in its incredibly diverse modern population. Unfortunately for the people of Suriname, it has had tumultuous post-independence politics, with military coups and the country facing near bankruptcy several times. Tune in to find out how this all happened.

Mongolia is a nation that many only associate with its short lived empire. However, beyond the great Khan, Mongolia has a rich history. What came before Genghis? What caused the empire’s collapse? How did Mongolia maintain its independence in the 20th Century? All questions that we look to answer in this episode.

Equatorial Guinea's challenging environment has made human settlement and population expansion difficult, but not impossible. However, this does not mean it was free from colonial meddling and it is this meddling that is still present even to the modern day. It is an exciting and tragic story filled with coups, witchcraft, court intrigue, and oil. Tune in to find out more.  

Today we discuss one of the most remote countries in the world. Iceland's history is characterised by its people's battle with its arctic conditions and geological power, with often tragic endings. In this episode we uncover how a relatively poor country facing immense challenges to survive, managed to turn into a forward thinking and prosperous nation.